Alternate jersey, new food and drinks, new seats coming to CTC

CTV’s Dylan Dyson got a sneak peek at the Canadian Tire Centre’s new offerings this year, from food and drink to new seats and a third jersey.

The Ottawa Senators have unveiled how the 2025-26 NHL season will look at the Canadian Tire Centre, including a new look for players on the ice.

The third jersey was unveiled on Senators media day, offering a sneak peek at the new things coming to the CTC.

The new jersey is red with black and gold trim around the shoulders and elbows. It will be worn 13 times this season.

New fan experiences

The Canadian Tire Centre is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026. The Senators say there will be new, upgraded seats in the 100-level and 200-level suites and a new ice-level bar. Some modifications to the arena will mean a slightly lower seat count. A sell-out will now be just under 18,000 fans.

Promotional nights this season include Oktoberfest, Halloween, an Indigenous culture celebration, Country Night, Arcade Night, and Home for the Holidays, alongside Hockey Fights Cancer, Igniting Hope, and Hockey Talk. There will be four Ignite the Red nights in the first half of the season and a bobblehead giveaway night.

Fanfest will take place on Sept, 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. before the preseason game vs. Toronto.

A 30th anniversary celebration for the Canadian Tire Centre will take place on Jan. 17, 2026, against the Montreal Canadiens, the same matchup that was played Jan. 17, 1996.

Dr Pepper makes NHL arena debut

The team also announced a new partnership with Keurig Dr Pepper Canada, bringing several soft drinks to the arena, including Dr Pepper, Canada Dry, Nestea, and Crush drinks.

The Dr Pepper soft drinks at Canadian Tire Centre will be available in addition to the existing line of Cola and Lemon Lime beverages inside the venue.

Keurig Dr Pepper Canada says the CTC is the first major sports venue in Canada that will be offering its beverages.

New food items

The Sens also unveiled new food items at the Canadian Tire Centre, including smash burgers, tourtière kettle nachos, and braised beef shank grilled cheese at the concession, and other items in club seats and restaurants, such as tourtière perogies and the return of the Brady Burger—a bison burger with aged cheddar, double-smoked bacon and pickle ketchup on a brioche bun.

Season ticket sales up

On the business side, the team said it has 13 new corporate partners and sponsorships this season and has seen a double-digit increase in season ticket sales.

Senators President Cyril Leeder told CTV News at Six there is a lot of excitement heading into the new season.

“There’s a great feeling around the team, all our stakeholders, our season seat members, casual fans, corporate partners, we’ve seen a lot of momentum there,” said Leeder.

“We had the most new season tickets in 15 years, so that’s a positive. We want to get the league average, which is around 11,000 season seats. We’re not there yet, but we’ve got runway now to get there and making good progress, so we’re excited for the year ahead.”

Tickets for the first half of the 2025-26 season go on sale Thursday.

With files from TSN 1200

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